Subtly slipping from the house on Friday morning, we sprinted to Monterey with a detour to Don Edwards NWR near Santa Clara to pick up some ocean birds and a few common things we were missing.
Yesterday was fairly successful, adding 18 new birds for the year. Our highlight was a few Snowy Plover, a small, rare shorebird that runs around the beach and likes to hide in footprints. I didn't get a picture, but this will give you an idea:
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| Snowy Plover by Len Blumin, from Flickr |
It's somewhat rare, as the Pacific population is currently listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act, so they're a fun find. And, this photo doesn't do its cuteness justice... imagine a large puff of cotton running around a beach on little stick legs, then running some more, then running some more, then nestling down into a shallow and dozing off.
This morning, we left the hotel early to watch the sea. It wasn't going anywhere, but we wanted to get there early to avoid crowds and maximize bird watching time.
It was misty from wind blowing sea spray onto us, and we end up being somewhat sticky with salt spray (so much for washing the car). But after multiple hours of driving to a spot, getting into the brisk wind, wiping the spray off the lenses, and striking out yet again, we finally found one of our targets: the adorable Rhinoceros Auklet! Again, I didn't get photo, but here are a couple from Wikipedia:
This morning, we left the hotel early to watch the sea. It wasn't going anywhere, but we wanted to get there early to avoid crowds and maximize bird watching time.
It was misty from wind blowing sea spray onto us, and we end up being somewhat sticky with salt spray (so much for washing the car). But after multiple hours of driving to a spot, getting into the brisk wind, wiping the spray off the lenses, and striking out yet again, we finally found one of our targets: the adorable Rhinoceros Auklet! Again, I didn't get photo, but here are a couple from Wikipedia:
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| Thanks again, Wikipedia! This is not the last time I'll be sipping from your font of content. |
Later in the day, we used reports from the InterWebs to locate a Swamp Sparrow in a small city park in Seaside, CA, just north of Monterey. Cato, you would have liked him, as he skulked through swampy reeds, popping out for few milliseconds now and again to say Hi. Again, no photos, but this is the gist:
All totaled, 11 new birds for the day, so we're up to 159 for the year.
Now, it's shower/dinner/sleep, in approximately that order. Home tomorrow after some birding, so we'll see you then.
Adios,
Me
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| One Swamp Sparrow, courtesy of Wikipedia. |
Now, it's shower/dinner/sleep, in approximately that order. Home tomorrow after some birding, so we'll see you then.
Adios,
Me
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